What Is Regenerative Agriculture? - A guest post by @takethegreenpill

Styrian Beaufort on Jan 3 22:24:15

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In order to obtain quicker, short term crop share profits: modern industrial farming is implemented. However, this practice damages the soil via use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. Sustainable agriculture is better for the environment and the farmland because it seeks to maintain the quality of the land and not damage it further than it already has been. Regenerative agriculture on the other hand, takes it a step further and intends to regenerate the farmland and return it to its previous, most optimal and fertile state before industrial agriculture damaged it. The farmland is an asset to the farmer. For the farmer to properly produce the right amount of commodities from the land, it is important to “regenerate” the land to its previous, most optimal state with the long term picture in mind. To make the farmland sustainable as a long term profit-producing asset, the farmer probably wants to go with regenerative farming as opposed to destroying the top soil via modern farming just to get quicker short term profits. You don't want to destroy your own asset!

Principles of Regenerative Agriculture

According to Chesapeake Bay Foundation, there are main principles, benefits and practices of Regenerative Agriculture.

1. Minimize physical, biological and chemical disturbance of the soil.
2. Keep the soil covered with vegetation or natural material.
3. Increase plant diversity.
4. Keep living roots in the soil.
5. Integrate animals into the farm as much as possible: livestock manure decreases the need for synthetic fertilizers.

Benefits of Regenerative Agriculture

1. Increase soil quality and fertility.
2. Produce higher quality, better tasting, nutrient dense foods without chemicals.
3. Make the farmland more resistant to droughts and floods.
4. Increase natural biodiversity within the farmland and around it.
5. Make nutrients in the soil more available to the plants.
6. Reduce need for expensive and synthetic fertilizers herbicides and pesticides.
7. Capture carbon in the air: reduce climate change.

Practices Used in Regenerative Agriculture

1. Stream-side Forest Buffers
2. Converting Cropland to Pasture and Rotational Grazing
3. Crop Rotations to Diversify Crops
4. Continuous implementation of No-Till: significantly reducing soil tilling to leave it undamaged.
5. Silvopasture: integration of trees and grazing livestock on the same land.
6. Cover crops: plants are planted with the purpose of protecting the soil rather than being harvested. This minimizes soil erosion and protects against pests and disease while keeping up biodiversity.
7. Streamside (Riparian) Fencing or water quality management: prevent livestock from entering the water, which can erode the bottom of waterways and release sediment to change water quality.

How LandX Finance Seeks to Promote, Provide Education for, and Finance Regenerative Agriculture

These strategies are not easy to implement, especially if the farmer is trying to make profit, even for the long term. So what is the process of transitioning from a conventionally farmed land to a regenerative farmed land? How difficult is it and how can a project like landxfinance help this process? According to major non-profits like The Rockefeller Foundation: “Regenerative agriculture is not like switching on a light. It is a process and a transition during which farmers and policymakers alike need information and support, partners, time, and learning.” Farmers need the right education, training, time and the right financial backing, and immediate financial backing to make this transition. This is where landxfinance comes in. Because the biggest concerns and reasons why farmers stick with modern industrial farming are time and money. If a protocol like LandX can mitigate those concerns, more farmers can be encouraged to use regenerative practices not just for the benefit of the environment, but for the value of their assets (high quality farmland and high quality crops.)

Thanks again to our pseudonymous Twitter guru @takethegreenpill and LandXFinance for their efforts promoting Regenerative Agriculture solutions: merging ecological awareness with blockchain technology.